“I think her business cards are a smart idea.” “She seems very responsible, but she doesn’t have much experience.” “It’s nice to see freshmen running for high-level positions.” “Treasurer is one role I don’t think an underclassman will thrive in.” Students have been sharing their opinions on a rare occurrence at Parker: freshman Alaina Prokup is running for Treasurer, a cabinet-level position.
Prokup’s three main goals are highlighted on her posters and platform. Her first goal in her platform is to increase transparency. To Prokup, this means “students [will] actually know what’s happening with the budget and that it’s not just some mystery happening behind closed doors.” She will achieve this through quarterly updates via plenary or Instagram and a QR code or form for people to include questions and comments. Her next campaign goal is smart budgeting. Prokup thinks that “every dollar should have a clear purpose and a thoughtful plan.” She will launch an anonymous survey for students to list their top priorities for spending, seeking feedback that will “directly guide how we allocate the student government budget.” She also mentioned hoping to use participatory budgeting differently. “I think students should be using PB for things that actually benefit the student body in a real, noticeable way,” Prokup said. Participatory Budgeting will remain the students’ choice, but she wants to offer options for things she deems more beneficial. Some examples include: “emergency support, such as transportation or school clothes for students who don’t have access to them, sustainability initiatives, and mental health and wellness items.”
A common concern among students was Prokup’s relevant past experience. “Managing student government finances independently is just not a job for a sophomore, let alone one with no previous experience specifically handling financial affairs,” freshman Amelia Luera said. Current Student Government Treasurer and senior Benjamin Graines shared that “having student government experience was very useful [for the position].” Graines was previously a Senate Head and MX Head, which meant he was “familiar with how student government functioned,” particularly with the communication aspect of it, which he thinks is an “essential facet to the treasurer role.” In Prokup’s campaign platform, she doesn’t include any previous leadership positions, but she mentions that she is “clear with communication,” as well as other qualities.
A few students noticed that Prokup’s posters were aesthetically different from others. “Her posters look very professional but don’t really have a fun aspect,” freshman Shriya Chaudhari said. Prokup said that “my goal was for people to see the posters and think, ‘Wait, who is this? I want to know more about her.’” Being viewed as serious is very important to her. “I see all of these other candidates putting memes on posters or social media, and it doesn’t seem like they’re taking this seriously.”
Prokup wanted to run for treasurer to make a significant impact. She believes substantial change can’t be made in the one or two years that juniors and seniors have left at school. “I’ve always been someone who’s organized and likes planning things out, so this role just felt like the right fit. I didn’t just want to come up with ideas, I wanted to be the one who helps bring them to life,” Prokup said. Whether you plan to vote for her or not, one thing people seem to agree on is that she’s definitely brave.
